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Discussion on: Do Code Comments Deserve a Special Spot or Can Well-Written Code Speak for Itself?

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Christopher Glikpo ⭐

Both well-written code and well-placed comments have their place in software development, and they serve different purposes.

Well-written code is crucial because it's the foundation of any software. It should be clean, efficient, and follow established coding standards and conventions. Good code should be self-explanatory to some extent, meaning that another developer should be able to understand what the code does just by reading it. This is especially important in a team setting where multiple developers might be working on the same codebase.

However, even the best-written code can't always convey the "why" behind certain decisions. This is where comments come in. Comments can provide context, explain the reasoning behind a particular approach, or clarify complex sections of code. They can also be used to generate documentation, mark areas that need improvement, or provide information about known issues.

That being said, comments should be used judiciously. Over-commenting can clutter the code and make it harder to read. Comments that simply restate what the code is doing are usually unnecessary. Also, comments need to be maintained just like code. Outdated or incorrect comments can be misleading and cause confusion.